Day 1a of the MSPT Canadian Poker Championship Main Event has concluded here at Playground in Montreal. The opening flight drew 107 entries, with 12 players advancing to Day 2 by the end of the night.

Said Jalali set the pace ending the night with 744,000, good for the Day 1a chip lead. Jalali began picking up speed in the last few levels of the night after turning a gutshot to crack Anas Slaoui’s pocket kings, and from there he continued to accumulate chips en route to bagging the chip lead.

Others to advance at the end of the night include Shaan Siddiqui (407,000) and Merritt Kuhn (321,000). Some players to join in Day 1a but fall before the end of the night include Griffin Benger, Eric Afriat, and Stuart Taylor.

Play ended with 28 minutes left in Level 16 and the blinds at 4,000/8,000 (8,000). All 12 of the remaining players from today’s starting flight are in the money and will return on Monday at 11:00 a.m. for Day 2, where they will battle it out for the lion’s share of the $1,000,000 guaranteed prize pool.

Any players who bagged in tonight’s flight still can play any of the three remaining starting flights. Players who bag more than once will see their biggest stack advance to Day 2. All smaller bagged stacks will be forfeited, and players will earn a min-cash for each forfeited stack.

Stay tuned to MSPTPoker.com for all your live coverage needs from the tournament floor here at Playground.